Moreton Bay Mixed Bag

[matt fraser]

Hi All, I've been trying to shake my impoundment barra addiction, and I might have found a temporary remedy.

I went out this morning with aim of trying to get some sandies, but ended up with snapper, spotty mackeral and whiting.

I headed out from Wello, straight to Green, dropped my pots, and proceed to drift around working Gulp minnows. The action was very slow though, so after an hour and a half with just a few baby snapper, I checked the pots and got nothin'. So I moved them and then followed Huskii's plan from last week and headed out to Harrys.

Got onto some decent snapper and bagged out in about 2 hours. biggest two 54 and 49cm smallest just legal. All on 4" minnow, 5" jerkshad on 1/4Oz jigheads, in 66feet of water, I had to go down to 12lb leader to get the bites.

It was an awesome glassed out day, so I decided to go exploring and check out the sandhills for whiting. I had a bit of a look around and got onto a few, nothing exceptional though, biggest about 24cm. I was fishing from 8 - 16 feet straight out from the main sandhill. Any tips on depth/area appreciated?!

I thought I'd better head home, but saw some birds working, so I rigged up a slug, and headed out. Managed to get bitten off, then hooked a good one 75 - 80cm, but stuffed the gaff shot twice, before it fell off the hooks - gaff was blunt!

I then managed to boat a little 65cm model.

There was a bit of surface action about, some of it was Mack Tuna though.

I came across more action on the way home, but couldn't get another bite. Back to Green, pulled pots for a few females and undersized. So no crabs

But apart from that it was a sensational day. Glassed out most of the day, great to cover some new water and try new things. Cant wait to get back out there.

I'll put picks up tomorrow.

Cheers,

Matt

[Kdog]

Gday Matt,

“and I might have found a temporary remedy.” What do you mean? you have now crossed over to the dark side mate, there’s no turning back now!!
Matt, that’s a great report and good to here you got onto a feed too, and as you said, it was great to cover some new water and try new things, can’t get better than that!!
Anyhow Matt, well done mate.

[Peter4]

Nice work Matt.....sounds like the perfect day out!

What were the crowds like at Harrys?

Pete

[patrol50]

matt just personnally when i think whiting i think shallows they are always in the wash areas on the edge of the shallows or banks etc so i would suggest try 1 - 8 ft rather than 8 to 16 ft - mate taught me that i used to cast to deeper areas he casted to shallows areas - always outfished me 4 to 1
best rob

[matt fraser]

Thanks for the replys guys, Kdog, I have now got the snapper and spotty bug, and cant wait to get back out there - wish i was out there today again.

Here are the pics, the first one is a 45cm snapper I caught at Green the night before - I did a quick trip trying for sandies, but came up empty apart from this snap, caught in 13ft of water on 4lb line, 8lb leader and 3" minnow - Great fun on the light gear. Lots of other rat snapper and pickers in the shallows late arvo.

The second pic is a Dolphin from Harries, there was a mother and calf going from boat to boat picking up the undersized being returned I suspect.

Pete, there were about 4 - 8 boats on harries coming and going regularly. Most anchored, one was drifting through starting his motor regularly. I was drifiting and using the electric, which was a great way to fish the area. I found some good looking structure in a couple of spots and got a lot of my fish as the Gulp was just getting down there.

The guys anchored, bait fishing caught lots of undersided fish, I only saw one legal fish caught on the other boats - had an Ausfish sticker, little tinny with two kids, two blokes, big bimmini.

The third photo shows the conditions over near the sandhills, just magic to be there in those conditions, I can't wait to get the family out there.

Rob, I didn't drift in any closer than 8 feet, because the bites were dropping off the shallower I got. But next time, I'll give it a try - thanks. There was another boat in the area, doing the same drift and every time they started getting shallow, they headed back out as well.

Last shot is the catch, pretty stoked about getting a few feeds! Must sharpen gaff, the spotty I lost boatside was a beauty.

Cheers,

Matt

[huskii]

hi matt, good feed there mate well done. Looks like perfect conditions in the pics mate. Its good to try new things and places. I go to green a lot but that gets boring after a while, but its so close to home if u can get a feed from there. Anyway good work on a mixed bag.

[stessco]

great catch! I was out on the water yesterday great day!

[leelee]

Nice work Matt. A great mixed bag as well.

How long did it take you to get from Wello to harries and then accross to the sand hills since it was a good day?

I am looking at doing the same soon and was trying to get an idea.

Cheers

Lee

[SummerTrance]

Wow what a great bag for a day in the bay I bet the electric is great to help drift on calm days. I hate when it goes still and I cant get any drift. I almost start praying for wind.

[matt fraser]

Huskii, thanks for your recent reports, they've helped inspire me to head out and try a few new things in the bay.

Stessco - amazing day, well done on those redcliffe bream

Lee - Wello to Green is about 5 - 10 minutes, Green to Harries 10 -15, Harries to Sandhills 15 -20 minutes, thats sitting on about 45km/h. Thats in glassed out conditions - you could halve that time in your boat. But if it comes up it will be a fair bit slower. I've never ventured as far as Moreton Before, but its not that far in good conditions.

Summer Trance - thanks, yep the electric was great, there was virtually no wind, but the key to staying in contact with the plastics was to stay directly on top of them, using the electric to stay at the same speed as the current. I've been doing that deep water breaming for years, same tactic works for deep water snaps too.

Cheers,

Matt

[Damned67]

Hmmmm, haven't caught a legal Snapper from Harry's since landing a 78cm model mid-October.... Since then I upgraded my leader sizes and usually use 12 or 20lb hoping for another of that caliber.... Maybe it's time to go lighter again?

Anyway, you just made me damn jealous. I know that when I head out there post-boxing day, it'll be insanely busy and barely worth fishing there.

[Scalem]

As soon as you see the dolphin, I know you have been to Harrys!

Well done applying what you already know works. The leccie thing really gives you the advantage it seems. I can't get away from Snapper ATM, I'll have to try other techniques for other species like you have. Good work!

Scalem

[leelee]

Lee - Wello to Green is about 5 - 10 minutes, Green to Harries 10 -15, Harries to Sandhills 15 -20 minutes, thats sitting on about 45km/h. Thats in glassed out conditions - you could halve that time in your boat. But if it comes up it will be a fair bit slower. I've never ventured as far as Moreton Before, but its not that far in good conditions.

Thanks Matt. The info is much appreciated.

I have been itching to get to the sandhills, but I never seem to get into the bay enough these days.

Cheers

Lee